Posted By John Henderson On November 15, 2011 @ 2:01 pm In Football,Pac-12 | No Comments

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian and USC’s Lane Kiffin say the best defense they’ve either faced or will face is Oregon. Kiffin says Oregon’s no-huddle, rapid-fire offense makes it harder for any defense, even its own.

“These guys have to play defense, go back on the field, good, bad or indifferent a lot of times within a minute or two,” Kiffin said on Tuesday’s Pac-12 Conference call. “Whether the offense is doing well or not, they’re doing it fast. So they may go three-and-out which may take 15 seconds off the clock. Or they may score in 15 seconds so their defense is put in a hard place because of their offense and they do a great job.”

Oregon is fifth in the nation in sacks at 3.20 per game and 23rd in tackles for loss at 7.1. It’s also averaging only 3.7 yards per rush and 6.0 yards per pass attempt.

“They tackle extremely well,” Sarkisian said. “They play defense with a very attacking style. They do a nice job pressuring the quarterback. Additionally they’re very opportunistic. They create turnovers, especially in the red zone. That’s one of the things that’s unique to their defense.”

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